Christmas trees are typically evergreen conifer trees such as spruce, pine, cypress, or fir which are harvested and displayed in connection with the popular holiday recognizing the birth of Jesus Christ, the savior and redeemer of mankind. Christmas trees are harvested by cutting through the trunk of the tree at a height of anywhere from just off the surface of the ground in which the tree is growing to some other height closer to the top of the tree. It is generally desirable and desired to keep a Christmas tree hydrated as soon as practicable after it is harvested and continually thereafter until eventual disposal of the tree. Continual hydration allows for the harvested tree to maintain a higher moisture content and will cause the tree to retain its needles—in the case of an evergreen tree, or its leaves—in the case of a deciduous tree, for a longer period of time. While many sources advise placing a harvested tree in water as soon as possible after harvesting, there have been very few, if any, attempts to solve the problem of dehydration from harvest through transportation, handling, and storage. For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for a device that can facilitate the hydration of harvested trees.
Presently, there is no known prior art for a sealable and refillable reservoir to provide hydration to cut trees from harvest, through transport, storage, and display. Presently, Christmas trees are harvested in one of two major ways. First, from a commercial forestry or farming operation, where a plurality of trees are cut down and transported, in bulk, to retail sales locations. These are often locations with limited services and facilities, typically vacant lots, parking lots, or the like. The transportation is usually done by rail car, flat-bed trailer, closed or open shipping container, or some combination thereof. At the retail location, trees are typically displayed upright so consumers can inspect them and select a tree they fancy. Also, some trees may remain stacked horizontally as inventory for future display and sale. Once a tree is selected from the lot, it is often packaged in mesh, baling, or wrapping, secured to the roof of a motor vehicle, and transported back to the where the consumer wishes to display the tree, oftentimes in a tree stand that accommodates a small supply of water or other liquid. A second method of harvest is by individual consumers who travel to tree farms to select and harvest their own trees. In this method, after harvest, the trees are often packaged in mesh, baling, or wrapping, secured to the roof of a motor vehicle, and transported back to the where the consumer wishes to display the tree. Oftentimes the tree is displayed in a tree stand that accommodates a small supply of water or other liquid. Under both methods, and in most cases, the display location is within a home or other heated environment that is some distance from the site where the tree is acquired. This prior art is deficient because it allows the harvested tree to dry out or become desiccated after it is harvested, and before is placed in a tree stand with a water or liquid reservoir.